Three Ways to Repair Windows Without Reinstalling

Having to deal with a computer that crashes is bad enough, but having to reinstall Windows is a hassle for most people. In a lot of cases, users may not even have an installation DVD or recovery disk to perform a complete reinstall. There are other options for fixing your computer you should try before going through the trouble of reinstalling Windows. These options are:

System Restore– A System Restore is the easiest repair option in Windows. It restores drivers and other system files back to a state prior to issues you might be experiencing. While Windows 7 will create restore points when you install hardware or when Windows updates, you should occasionally go in and manually create a restore point yourself if things are running smooth.

System Repair Disk – A system repair fixes certain problems, such as missing or damaged system files, that could prevent Windows from starting. Make the disk and keep it in a safe place.

System File Checker (SFC) – System file checker is a powerful tool that searches and replaces missing or corrupt files that might be crashing Windows.

Use System Restore Points

Launch System Restore by going to Start>All Programs>Accessories>System Tools>System Recovery.

Click Next. If you have restore points available, they will be listed in the box.

Highlight the update you want to use, then click Next.

Windows will revert your system files back to the condition they were in at the time and date you selected.

Create a System Repair Disk in Windows 7

Click the Start button, and then click the link for the Control Panel.

Under System and Security, click Backup your computer.

In the left panel, click Create a system repair disk.

Follow the on-screen prompts to create the system repair disk. To use the disk, simply put the disk into your CD or DVD drive and restart the computer. If prompted, press any key to boot to the disk. If your computer boots to the Desktop normally, make sure you tap a key when booting, but if that doesn’t work, go into your BIOS and set your optical drive as your first boot device.

Windows 7 System File Checker

System File Checker (SFC) is one of the more powerful tools to search and replace damaged or missing systems files in Windows. Unfortunately, you may need a Windows install disk to complete this scan.

To run System File Checker, you need to run a command prompt as administrator. To do this, navigate to Start>All Programs>Accessories. Right-click the Command Prompt icon, and select Run as administrator.

At the command prompt, type sfc / scannow.

The scan could take a while, but if it finds any problems, it will replace missing or corrupt system files with good files from the disk.

Repair Windows Conclusion

No matter what process you use the fix Windows, make sure you always have a backup of your data and either a system recovery disk or an install disk in case these options do not work for you. We recommend either occasionally making an image of your install or backing up to a good external hard drive.